A grand romantic and atmospheric historical mystery in what's now established as the Kate Morton tradition. Nothing groundbreaking but it's all skillfully done and fans of her others will love it!

Kate Morton is a brilliant writer of historical fiction, and The Clockmaker's Daughter is no exception. While The Secret Keeper remains my favorite, this story definitely swept me away to the banks of the River Thames and Birchwood Manor, where her typical excellent weaving of characters, events, and details drew me in to another time and place. I never want her novels to end, and I do think this one ended a little abruptly. However, I'm still a fan and rate this story right up there with all her other amazing novels. I'm so thankful this author continues to write such excellent work.

Kate is an amaing author with prose, and this book will have you enchanted from the first page! As the reader follows Birdie' story, back and forth in time, you will get caught up in how she is abandoned by those she loves, and how her life afefcts so many, in different ways. Part mystery, part love story, this book is one you can't put down. I finished it in 2 sittings only because I had to, otherwise I would have stayed lost in the story until I finished it. This is not a book to be missed, be sure it is on your fall reading list!

tl;dr: Read this. Exquisitely written and outstanding novel about the power of time and love. Again...read this.

The Clockmaker's Daughter is easily one of the top three novels I've read in 2018. Spanning from the late 19th century to the present day, everyone and everything in it is connected, some in joy, some in sorrow, some in hope.

And the writing! Oh, does Ms. Morton have a way with words. I don't usually highlight text, but there were several passages--most notably to me on sentiment and what it means and a lovely bit about knowledge and women-- that were so perfectly said, so eloquently put, that I had to be able to find them again.

Although I suspect The Clockmaker's Daughter may be touted as literary fiction, which it is because of the beautiful writing (for a start), I think ( and hope) that it will be a bestseller because it will appeal to readers of commercial fiction, women's fiction, those who like characters driven mysteries, and even to teen readers. Truly, there is something here for everyone!

I won't say too much about the plot for fear of spoilers but I did love how everything was woven together, and to those who may not be happy with the ending, I say that there is room for possibilities as well as the notion that love transforms in ways that may lead to the best *possible* outcome, and that is how love may bind us to a person forever, in ways both expected and not. It transcends, it is forever, no matter what may come.

I've already mentioned the writing, but I have to mention that Ms. Morton is also a deft plotter, and manages to weave in so much history, be it of art or science or pre/during/post war life, and all with such a deft hand that I marveled.

I was filled with admiration, joy, sorrow, and, at the end, peace. What more can one ask for when reading?

The Clockmaker's Daughter is a must read. For adults, I'd say it easily pairs with A. S Byatt's sublime Posession, one of Ms. Morton's other novels, or even David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. For teens, I'm thinking Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution (other suggestions?) It also is an easy pick for a book club and I'll be setting one up for adults and hopefully teens as well.

I did receive an ARC of this but will be purchasing two copies, one for myself and one to loan to friends. It's that good! Get yourself a copy, as you are worth it, or join your local library's waitlist (I will be pushing to order more copies to meet demand)

Sometimes I love Kate Morton… and then sometimes I don’t. Reading the Clockmaker’s Daughter, I was reminded of this. Like some of her other titles, parts were great and parts contrived. However, the end was a rush to tie up all the loose threads of too many characters and their parts in this odd mystery.
With that said, parts of this were so evocative of the times and the settings. All in all an enjoyable read, but not one of her best.

I loved this book! I love the setting, the manor (a house is a classic Kate Morton ingredient in her stories), and of course the word pictures that are conjured up. I loved the characters, especially Elodie, and how you can imagine what happened to them even after the last page is read. I love Kate Morton's way with words and I'm really excited about seeing her in Kansas City in a few weeks!

Wow, just wow. Just finished this book after savoring it for several weeks. Yes, I could have finished it earlier, but I just wanted the reading experience to last just that little bit longer!
It's odd for me to say, but the first thing I found extraordinary about this book was the construction of the narration. The author's skill in slowly unfurling the plot to the reader, while simultaneously building up the suspense and mystery is a thing of beauty.

One of the most enjoyable and satisfying reading experiences I've had this year!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. A lot of characters, over a long period of time, and the author jumps around with both. I several times had to back up and figure out who was being talked about and during what time period were we now in as well. I thought the ending still left several things unfinished with so many characters to tie things up with. Over all a good story, but one you want to be able to give your full attention to.

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton is a historical fiction novel that is set in both past and present time. Featuring a love affair gone awry, a murder, and a woman investigating the past, this book is an eloquent depiction of love, loss, and betrayal.

I really wanted to love this book. As someone who adores historical fiction, not liking this book really bummed me out. The writing itself was beautiful--the imagery vivid--but I was completely bored to tears.

The story itself is an interesting one. Elodie in the present is researching the past, and chapter by chapter the mystery unfolds. Unfortunately there was so much jumping around on different timelines that it made the whole thing confusing. At the beginning of the book I was fully engaged in Elodie's story, but then there were parts of the book where I didn't hear from her again for a good 75-100 pages. This made connecting with the characters difficult, if not impossible.

There was also too much "tell" and not enough "show" in this book. Yes, the writing was beautiful, but it was all description and very little action. Show me what happened, don't just tell me! The overuse of "telling" made the book boring and a slog to get through.

I did like Lily's story a great deal. She was an interesting character, and her upbringing was unique. Her romance and ultimate disappearing act had me scratching my head. I would have never guessed what happened to her. It was somewhat anticlimactic but still brought a good sense of closure to the story.

The ending overall was just kind of "meh." Honestly, there were so many different characters and storylines that I'm not sure everything got wrapped up as neatly as it could. I would have liked to have followed Elodie's story a bit more at the end, but it wasn't to be.

Would I recommend this book? If you're a Kate Morton fan, then you'd probably like this book. I know her fan-base is quite eager for its release!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the chance to read before publication, for which I've promised an honest review. The Clockmaker's Daughter requires a willing suspension, that taxed my ability to disbelieve. Kate Morton is a good writer, with an avid following. However, her plotting and characterizations, while evocative leave me with a sense of overworked "cliché". If you are into ghostly interpretations of events that happened over generations - The Clockmaker's Daughter may be your cup of tea - just not mine.

According to Goodreads, this book is “a story of murder, mystery, and thievery; of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold…” of course, the woman is refers to is the titular Clockmaker’s Daughter. However, her voice is hardly the only one we hear in this book, and the many other voices spread across time, beginning in the mid-1800s through the 21st century.

This is actually the first Morton I’ve read, even though I know we have one or two of her novels on our shelves; I’ve simply never gotten around to reading any of them. This is obviously a hole in my literary education, because what I found here was quite unexpected on several levels.

To begin with, I had no idea that Morton’s writing style was such that I would find the prose totally riveting, luscious, and appealing, while also being deceptively simple. This type of artistry is exactly what I love to find in these types of novels, particularly ones that are as epic as this one. To my mind, this is the type of writing that seems to lend itself especially well to the historical fiction genre. Of course, not every writer can achieve this level of allure in their writing, so I’m sorry I never read Morton before.

I was also surprised about how little the inclusion of the unrealistic parts of the story bothered me with this novel. Most of my regular readers know that I don’t care much for fantasy books, and while I can handle a bit of magical realism here and there, I don’t generally go in for horror or ghost stories. However, despite finding a ghost early on in this book, once again, I was unwilling to quit reading this book because of the prominence of an apparition being a major protagonist here. Once again, Morton’s literary style eclipsed that prejudice in me, and yet again, that kept me reading.

Another surprising element here is how Morton gives us such a wide-ranging cast of characters, not only from across the years, but also within each of the eras where the actions take place. Often something like this can be confusing, and I must admit that there were times when I wasn’t sure who was whom, or where these people fit into the story. In fact, putting the pieces of this puzzle together wasn’t easy at all, and Morton only starts fitting them together for the readers about three-quarters of the way through the book, with the real answers only coming very near the ending. This can be both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, being overly confused might turn off some readers. On the other hand, this increases the mysterious aspects of the plot, and I pride myself in figuring out “who done it” far too early in many books, which is the reason I hardly read mystery novels anymore. In fact, the former is more often the case for me, but if you can keep me guessing about what really happened, then you’ve got me hooked. Of course, add that to such brilliant prose and I’m in seventh heaven.

I should also mention that this is no small work of fiction, as it hovers around 600 pages, which is easily 15-20% longer than most of the books I read. Of course, as already noted, when a book is this well written, we don’t often pay that much attention to the length (and if you’ve got it on your eReader instead of holding it in your hands, that makes it all the less daunting to tackle). However, the exceedingly large confluence of characters, and the many eras that this book encompasses, despite their very valuable contributions to the plot, does force me to lower my rating of this book. I can still recommend this book warmly, especially to lovers of historical fiction, people with a good measure of patience, and people who like a good ghost story. I’m not necessarily all of those types of people, so I’m going to give it four out of five stars, almost solely because of the excellent writing.

After reading The Secret Keeper I became a huge Kate Morton fan. When I saw she had a new book coming out I just had to get my hands on it. And as with The Secret Keeper, she does not disappoint in The Clockmaker's Daughter.

"People value shiny stones and lucky charms, but they forget that the most powerful talismans of all are the stories we tell to ourselves and to others."

Kate Morton is a beautiful, gifted and magical storyteller. She mixes romance, mystery and murder in an incredible historic setting that dances across decades to make a magnificent novel. She writes the story using multiple voices over multiple time frames, yet she ties them all together with a single thread that doesn't fully materialize until the end. (Which makes you not want to put the book down).

While the heart of this novel is a breath taking love story, all the additional elements she includes (a murder, a mystery, a huge cast of characters) makes this a profoundly moving and captivating novel to read. Kate Morton has one of the most beautiful prose of any author I've read. I just drank in this novel and walked away feeling I had an intimate connection with many of the characters. I am in awe at how she was able to weave their storylines so tightly together. It's brilliant!!!!!!

My thanks to Kate Morton, Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When it comes to an author like Kate Morton readers should be well aware that they will find great writing when picking up a new book and that was still the case with The Clockmaker’s Daughter. However, even with lovely writing sometimes things just don’t work for some readers and that would be my dilemma with this one.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a historical fiction read told from multiple points of view over the course of decades. In the present Elodie Winslow is going through an old satchel when she comes across a few items that draw her interest. Readers are then taken back to the mid 1800s to the Birchwood Manor and the mystery that surrounds it.

Now, normally I am one that can love a story with multiple characters and multiple timelines however it all depends on the way things are done. With this story the author has taken multiple to a whole new level in the fact I found it hard to keep track of so many characters coming into the story. Sometimes I would get the feeling I may need to take notes and then reading feels more like homework than relaxation.

With so much going on I had a hard time connecting to the characters and story with struggling to keep up too. Quite often I wouldn’t know who I was following and for me I prefer a clearer style to follow. In the end I’d say this one just wasn’t my cup of tea but I’m sure some readers will love it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I like Kate Morton novels but always walk away feeling 150-200 pages could be cut out.

They are brilliant and tie together so well and with such care but I rarely fail to get antsy at some point. This book was the same experience. Still a great read but felt forever-ish.

Thanks to Negalley for the ARC.

A romantic love story, a mystery and a murder

Birchwood Manor is located near the Thames and it is at the center of this story and it also holds the truth about what happened one summer in 1862. The house is like a character and has "a voice" that whispers to the reader and makes connections that won't be revealed until later. I kept asking myself, "who is speaking"? That will be revealed later.

The story spans from the 1860's to present day and artist, Edward Radcliffe is at the heart of the mystery. He has found the love of his life, but will his heart will be broken? This part of the story felt old-fashioned and romantic. The characters in the present day story felt very modern and I was intrigued to find out what the connections between past and present were.

This is my first Kate Morton book and it was such an atmospheric, detailed and absorbing tale. There was intrigue, mystery and a rich setting that I could picture perfectly in my mind. I thought the characters were interesting and I wanted to learn what would happen to them in the end. This is not a fast paced page-turner, it is more a slow brewing mystery. I took my time and enjoyed this one.

Yes, there are lots of characters and two time periods, but the author was able to capture my imagination and kept me turning the pages to learn the secrets of the mansion and what the many clues that were revealed along the way would lead to.

I enjoyed getting immersed in the characters, unraveling the extensive plot and I savored the rich details of this beautifully written novel.

Thanks to Atria for my copy. Review will post to my blog on publication date 10/02/2018.

I’m so sad to even post this review, as I had very high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me, and very much lost my interest in it... so I had to DNF it. Which, is actually somewhat rare of me to even do.

Here’s what didn’t work for me. I felt as if the story was dry, the storyline and central mystery wasn’t intriguing or compelling, and there was simply too much jumping around between characters and timelines that it felt choppy to me.

Nevertheless, I’m still happy to have had the opportunity to review this book. Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free review e-copy.

I LOVE Kate Morton's books, she is a wonderful storyteller and I wait excitedly for each next release. However, this one just did not do it for me. I feel that it had plenty of potential, the story just did not follow through the way I wanted it to. I wish there would have been more romance and heat - in both the past and present parts of the story and more to the mystery. The huge whodunit was a total let down and I abhorred the ending. I felt that Birdie deserved much better. I still love Kate Morton and will buy her books happily!

I just reviewed The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton. #TheClockmakersDaughter #NetGalley

I had a tough time with this book. The novel covers 4 main time periods and dozens of characters. Just when I was getting absorbed into a story line, that story would end or pause. It felt like I was constantly starting a new book. And I could have used a flow chart to keep track of the characters. My first Kate Morton novel, and I came away disappointed.

To appreciate any Kate Morton book is to imagine yourself on a long trip, a vacation say, where each day you enter different time periods, meet indelible people and discover the secrets of their lives. You do this willingly and with great enthusiasm, because every word you read is haunting and melodious. The Clockmaker’s Daughter must be approached this way.
As the introduction says: “This is a story of murder, mystery and thievery; and of art, love and loss, that begins in the 1860’s and continues to the present day.” (My paraphrasing.) Kate Morton’s writing has never been more beautiful, nor more descriptive. Yes, there is a huge cast of characters, but they are meaningful, so connected and so well developed.
Elodie, the archivist in 2017 London, uncovers an old leather satchel containing an artist’s sketchbook, and a small, framed picture of a beautiful, captivating, Victorian woman. Elodie’s mother was a famed cellist that died in a tragic car accident with a fellow musician when Elodie was very young; a painting is discovered of her mother and the musician said to be done days before their deaths that links them to Briarwood Manor. The house, Briarwood Manor that links everyone, from the1860 artist, Edward Radcliffe, who owned the house all the way to the present day, where someone has been watching everything.
If I continued to try to describe this incredible book in one review, I could never do it justice in a few paragraphs. So, your time would be better spent reading the book, yes? Of course.
I highly recommend you plan to be totally absorbed in words of sumptuous intrigue. Surely, a Kate Morton classic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Publishers, and Kate Morton.

This book by Kate Morton takes place in England , beginning in 1862.
In the summer of 1862, artist Ed Radcliffe leads a group of friends to the banks of the Thames River. Plans go awry and there is a murder.
The story is picked up a century later - and family ties, many twists and turns, plus loads and loads of major and minor characters this is quite the melodrama.
I found the novel to be long-winded and a bit confusing. It did not hold my interest as I would have liked.